Before and After: This Remodeled Scandi-Style IKEA Kitchen Is *Chef’s Kiss*
This kitchen had a lovely window, but thanks to dark, abundant cabinetry and a peekaboo wall, not much daylight flowed through the space. After living with the less-than-ideal arrangement, its owner was finally able to renovate—and the results are sunny and fun.
The kitchen is now so nice and open, awash in natural light reflected off the white, yellow, green, and silvery finishes. The square white wall tile is unique and adorably minimal and creates a unified look with the white cabinets and stools. The yellow cushion echoes the yellow of the wooden floor and is a vibrant companion to all of the bright red and aqua accents. Meanwhile, the green cushions coordinate with the lush plants living happily throughout the room. Finally, gray/silver is the truly unifying hue, featured in the concrete floor tiles, stainless steel appliances and range hood, concrete countertops, faucet, and pendants.
The removal of the upper cabinets helps the space—and light—flow much better, as the new open shelves are far less overwhelming than the hanging cupboards were. The new cabinetry from IKEA are outfitted with deep drawers for maximum usable storage and accessibility. And while losing the upper cabinets definitely meant losing storage space, the new tall cabinet to the right of the fridge, the cubbies to the left of it, and the peninsula might just make up for the loss.
This home was featured on Sweeten and was designed by Danielle Herman of Persephone’s Spring. Its owner “wanted mid-century Scandi meets ’70s Italian modern with warmer accents in the textiles and color,” and the team nailed it.
The new breakfast bar takes advantage of the sunlight streaming through the window, and also provides a spot for guests to sit and chat without being underfoot in the kitchen. The three gorgeous smoked glass pendants are gorgeous sculptures that add a soft, flattering lighting option. The new cubbies are perfect for storing cookbooks away from splattering oil, housing a coffee station, and so much more.
The backsplash tiles are from The Tile Spark, the 2′ x 2′ concrete floor tile is from Tile Bar, and the matte concrete countertops are from Caesarstone. The central pendant is the Trace 4 Pendant, and the two smaller pendants are the Trace 3 Pendants, both in charcoal from BluDot.
The wood insets on the cabinet doors coordinate beautifully with the custom wood shelves, adding organic warmth to the predominantly white room. The matte concrete countertops have a similar effect. The sink is rather small, which is presumed to not be an issue for the kitchen’s owner; besides, it allows for even more counter space.
Thank you, Sweeten and Persephone’s Spring!